


Slipping through the Cracks

by ProspitPrincess



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Humanstuck, M/M, postsburb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-11
Updated: 2012-11-24
Packaged: 2017-11-09 15:20:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/456978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProspitPrincess/pseuds/ProspitPrincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you're playing Sburb it doesn't go on forever. What if when you want to leave and finally spend some time with your old and new friends, things don't go as planned. You start high school and your memory isn't as it was. Who are these people around you?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

                A flash of green as Jade teleported and the whipping of John’s blue hood went across Dave Strider’s vision. He was running towards their foe Jack Noir, sword raised high for the kill. His friends and he had been in this battle for what felt like forever. Trolls and humans working together against the common foe of Jack Noir, they were all beaten and injured but it was nearing the end and Dave could taste it.

                He saw Rose run in, her needles poised and stabbing into Jacks neck, the dog-carapace being screaming as he tried to teleport away but was held there by Jade. John flew in, his ridiculously colored hammer held high while Dave kept running. It began to seem like he would never get there, time had come to a complete stop. Being the knight of time let him know that none of this had in fact happened, but that he was running on exhaustion and adrenaline. Things seemed to catch up with Dave as he got there; the combination of the Royal Deringer, Zillyhoo, and the needles of Oglogoth causing the body of Jack Noir to shatter, an explosion throwing all four of the kids back.

                The trolls had stood back, being more of a hindrance as the kids came together, but they moved forward to help the fallen friends up. Karkat and Gamzee helped pull the dizzy Jade Harley to her feet, Terezi propped John up till he could stand, Kanaya was holding Rose about the waist, and Sollux with Aradia had Dave up and Standing. They had won! Really this was what they had all been working towards, three years apart to come to this!

                Dave pushed the trolls off, walking meaningfully towards Jade as John Spun Rose with him in the air. They were all laughing and covered in blood and dirt but no one cared, he had just opened his mouth, not quite sure what he was going to say—

**GAME OVER**

**  
**

**\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**

 

_or is it...?_

 

                _Your name is Dave Strider and this is your first day of high school. You live with your older brother Dirk and there are always puppets and car parts around the house. You like to fuck around on the internet and make sick beats on your turntables. You better eat something quick before your brother leaves you behind on his way to class._

                Dave groaned as his alarm went off at 6:30, slapping the button to stop the loud alarm he rolled out of bed. Running his hands through his white blonde hair, he grinned at himself in the mirror. _Damn he looked good_ , he thought to himself as he pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a tee shirt. Grabbing the messenger bad full of his notebooks and crap he’d need for the whole first day shenanigans Dave ran out to the kitchen of the apartment he shared with  his brother.

                He grumbled to himself as he couldn’t find anything else other than poptarts in the cabinets. The bell signaling he had five minutes or he had to walk came from downstairs. Popping the pastry into his mouth he ran down the stairs and jumped into the waiting mustang to go to school.

                _Your name is Rose Lalonde and this is your first day of high school. You live with your Mom and older sister Roxanne and there are always cats and liquor bottles around your house. You like to fuck around on the internet and practice your knitting. You better eat something quick before Roxy leaves you behind on her way to work._

                The alarm ringing through Rose’s room was quickly silenced with a well aimed hand at 6:30 that morning. She moved silently out of her bed to see what it would be like on the first day of her high school career. A normal day that left nothing to chance and excitement she figured, moving to pull on her sweater and skirt.

                Rose picked up her backpack and made her way out to the kitchen where her mother was absent but Roxy had some eggs and toast out. Sitting at the table she ignored as Roxy texted someone, nibbling on her food while Rose ate quickly. They had to be on the way to her school soon as Roxy’s job at the lab where their mother worked had her starting bright and early. They moved out to the car and Rose was on her way to her first day.

                _Your name is Jade Harley and this is your first day of high school. You live with your Grandpa and cousin Jake and there are always guns and plants around your house. You like to fuck around on the internet and make gardens around your house. You better eat something quick before you miss the bus coming._

                Jade woke up to the sound of the radio, her alarm across the room so that she couldn’t just roll over and go to sleep again. 6:30 on the first day of high school had Jade staring into her closet completely unsure what she planned to wear. Picking her average tee shirt and skirt she almost forgot her backpack as she ran out of the room. Her large husky Becquerel was laying on it and obscuring the bag from view. That in hand she ran down the steps from her third floor room to see what she could grab for breakfast.

                Ignoring the snoring of her cousin sleeping on the couch, comic book over his face Jade grabbed an apple and ran out the door. She didn’t even care as the screen door slammed, running down the driveway towards the end of her street to wait for the bus with the other kids on her street.

                _Your name is John Egbert and this is your first day of high school. You live with your Dad and cousin Jane and there are always pastries and DVD cases around your house. You like to fuck around on the internet and practice your magic. You better eat something quick before you miss the bus coming._

                John moved out from under his blankets to turn off his limited edition Ghostbusters alarm clock, glaring at the glowing 6:30 on the display.  He didn’t really want to get up and head in for his first day but grabbing the clothes his cousin had laid out for him the night before he was quickly ready to face the day. He nearly tripped over a pile of his clothes, or rather a gooey cake disguised as his pile of clothes. _Very close Jane… but not close enough_ he thought to himself as he avoided the prank. With his shoes no more covered in cake than they had been last night he made his way downstairs.

                He snagged the toast from the table, ignoring the cries as that place happened to be Jane’s plate. Giving her a wink and a thumbs up for her attempted prank he dashed out, toast in his mouth towards the bus stop to go in for his first day of school.

                John was walking through the hallways, the bustle of everyone as they saw friends from the summer past loud as he greeted a few friends. John’s friends were cool in his books even if they were only mediocre in the hierarchy of high school. It was a good day in deed as he moved up the stairs to his first class of algebra when he saw that weird Strider kid. Smirking to a few buddies, he moved over to the kid leaning in the stairwell as if he was waiting for something.

                “Hey Strider why do you wear those stupid glasses inside huh? You look like such a stupid tool.” John pushed Dave, staring into the young man’s shades, he pushed again as the other remained silent with the teasing.  It was yet another push that sent Dave sprawling on the stairs, glasses askew and red eyes apparent. “God you’re a freak. Those eyes are just weird, good thing you cover them up because no one would want to see them”

                Moving with his friends, John left the boy to his own thoughts. His own thoughts were a dangerous thing as Dave dusted himself off, glasses fixed. The Egbert kid wasn’t usually that bad but when he got cocky with his friends, the ironic and cool demeanor of D. Strider was too much for John to handle. Grumbling to himself he picked his things up, and moved on down the hall to his English class. 

                Dave ran his hands through his hair, walking with only half a sense of purpose and his shoulder accidentally ran into some small girl. Her black wavy hair everywhere and dumped on her ass he blinked. “ Sorry…” was all he muttered as he left the girl on the ground. He wasn’t good with being the nice guy or anything or he might have flirted, or at least picked up her glasses which had been bumped off of her face.

                Grumbling about stupid boys and their lack of manners Jade picked up her glasses, popping them on her face she moved on towards Biology. Backpack slapping against her knees the wacky rainbow socks and blue plaid skirt didn’t match but she didn’t care, the too large purple sweater revealed most of one shoulder as she bounced down the hall.

                Her eyes glanced up at the blonde girl coming out of the library, the too dark makeup something Jade wished she could ask about, but just kept quiet.  Hands gripping the messenger bag covered in buttons she avoided the girl, even if she wanted to ask about the squiddles pin that was on the others backpack. The girl scared her a bit, even if she was sure that, Rose she thought the girls name was, was nice as could be.

                The bright colors of the clothing that the other girl wore almost hurt Rose’s eyes but that also intrigued her, the way the girl seemed to not care what others thought of her clothing. Pulling the books she held closer to her chest, Rose’s violet eyes scanned the hallway. Most everyone avoided the “Scary Goth Girl” that she was known as, which allowed Rose to pour herself into her books and writing.

                Moving to class the girl ignored everyone around her till she came to one of her friends, a fellow member of the book club, and they began to quietly converse about the book of focus for that week. She ignored most everyone in this school and left herself to her small and preferred existence.

                Four teenagers all on their first days of school, and not a discernible difference between every other person in the school they attended. Why were they special, why did a strange wind course through the small town, the stars shine brighter even with the lights, the sun shine brighter, and the time seem to freeze between moments if you focused long enough? These were all common occurrences, not that anyone focused long enough.


	2. Chapter 2

                _In the next school year and resulting summer the four previously mentioned kids never hung out, never laughed together, and never became friends. They were four completely different people with very little in common and within the school hierarchy would never interact as more than just acquaintances. Birthdays passed, older and into the fall of their sophomore year things would change._

_One might ask about these kids and how they grew up, how they came to be the people that they were. Well if asked they would say they couldn’t tell you anything particular from their childhood. They remembered having one but it was all vaguely fuzzy, but when they tried to think about it they would immediately lose track of what they were trying to do, pulled back to the present and easily forgetting._

_Raised by their moms and dads, grandfathers, and even an older brother the four kids grew up. Even with cousins and siblings in the house that always seemed to have a gleam about them of something bigger or greater, the kids never asked, never probed. Time passes like normal for most of these kids though and things would be normal until the mid fall of their sophomore year._

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Dave Strider was a pretty cool kid, he thought so anyway, and being the cool kid that he was he didn’t have any cares about undressing while in the locker room after gym. He knew there were all kinds of ladies that would kill to see his sweaty bod  stripping down but today he was just changing clothes to go on to geometry class. He would have rather spent the time with the ladies. He glanced over at the Egbert kid; they had a couple classes together. He happened to glance down at the kid’s lower back and he had the weirdest birthmark. Dave himself had one like gear right over his heart but this one seemed more like a tattoo. It was swirly, almost like wind that was blowing—

                Dave crashed into the locker behind him, all of the memories of Sburb and his friends moving into his brain at warp speed.  He nearly lost his signature shades in the fall and he was gasping softly, looking up at John with wide eyes.

                He looked back at Dave with the weirdest look, like Dave had just grown two more heads and was spitting curses out of them. “John! Bro! What the heck are you looking at me like that for?” Launching up out of the locker he grinned, grabbing John’s shoulders. “We made it man…we made it out alive! We need to go find the girls and just. I’m so happy we made it out man you have no idea.”

                “What the fuck have you been smoking Strider? And get your hands off of me” John had no idea why Dave was shaking him or what he was talking about. What had they made it out of? He just shoved Strider off and pulled his shirt on, leaving the locker room with his friends to leave the dorky Strider kid behind.

                Dave was crestfallen, he remembered but obviously John didn’t. Grabbing his shirt he left for his math class that he shared with Jade. Maybe she had remembered.

                When he got there Jade was twirling her pencil idly ignoring everybody around her for the book on her desk about plants. Dave sat across the room from her but he made his way to her, perching on the corner of her desk to grin down at her. “Sup Harley”

                “What are you doing Dave?” Her huge green eyes looked up at him, a mixture of surprise and confusion on her face. This kid never gave her the time of day let alone hit on her. She just raised her eyebrows at him quizzically.

                His face fell, “You obviously don’t remember…”

                “Remember what?”

                “Sburb! The game! The whole thing that you and I did together—“

                “Are you spreading rumors about you and me Strider because I swear if you are…my cousin Jake is going to kick your ass to kingdom come…you hear me? Now will you please go sit down at _your_ seat and leave me to my book? Thank you” She huffed, glaring at him as he walked dejectedly away.

                Jake. Dave didn’t want to be on Jake or Jade’s bad side as both could probably kick his ass. He just watched her carefully from behind his shades as Mrs. Guyson taught them about circles and all the wonderful things you could do with them. He was doodling on his notebook paper, just thinking to himself. His bro was at home, they’d lived together as far back as he could remember but his bro was only a couple years older than him.

                 He’d graduated and was in college with Jake he was pretty sure even. Thinking back on it he didn’t remember any real parents just a Bro. That was how things had been before and he guessed in this post Sburb life they were similar. Did that mean Rose had an older sister Roxy? Did John have an older sister or cousin Jane? This was beginning to make Dave’s head hurt more than the crash into the locker had.

                He didn’t even bother trying to ask if Rose remembered when they had English together for the final class of the day. He really wasn’t sure what to do that would bring his friends into the present of remembering the game with him, but Dave was going to figure it out.

                He slid into his 1989 scarlet camaro he had rebuilt with his brother Dirk. It had been in the junkyard Dirk had worked in and he brought it home, telling Dave it was his if he helped him rebuild it. Now Dave knew how to fix everything on his car and he had a pretty cool car. He gunned it out of the school parking lot and went for home.

                Looking up at the apartment he had all the old memories from Texas, when he’d had his Bro and they had strifed on the roof. Dave shivered, moving out of the car his bag slung on his back. He saw the mustang his brother had restored for himself parked there, so that meant he was home. He opened the apartment door only to pull an umbrella from the rack by the door, holding it up defensively as Dirk came at him with a katana.

                “You finally fucking remembered little bro” Dirk smirked, glasses off and amber eyes staring down at Dave as his muscles clenched.

                “you gave me a fucking heart attack Dirk!...wait you know?!” Dave stared the asshole down; Dirk just smirked at him and tossed the sword to the side.

                “All of us older kids figured it out, but we couldn’t just tell you guys. It’s like an unwritten rule. If you aren’t cool enough to know about the party you aren’t cool enough to go”

                “That’s fucked up. Have you always known?”

                “No, but it was pretty soon after we got here, and that for your information has been two years. You started your freshman year of high school with all your friends not knowing them from anyone else.” Dirk flopped onto the couch and sipped a beer. “Jake, Roxy, Jane, and I all know but we can’t tell you, you guys have to figure it all out yourself and from the sour puss look you had coming in you’re the first of your little friends to know.”

                It really got on Dave’s nerves the way Dirk just knew these things about him. He flopped across from him in the rolling computer chair, just rolling around absently as he stared his bro down.

                “So how did you figure it out anyway dude?” Dirk asked curious as she crushed the can he’d been drinking from and tossed it to the trashcan they kept in the living room.

                “I dunno, I think it was because I saw what I thought was a tattoo on John’s back...but I guess it was like my birthmark...the symbol from our god tiers. I just looked, trying to figure out what it was and I just had everything crash back. He didn’t remember a thing, neither did Harley.” John was his best bro, that hurt Dave him not remembering but Jade was a different kind of pain. Jade had been the girl he professed his feelings for, right before the final battle with Jack. He’d told her not to tell him her response until they had won the battle. He could see her running towards him, covered in blood and smiling, and then it went black. He’d never gotten to hear her say how she felt back.

                He shook himself out of those thoughts; he would get them all to have their memories back and he would get to hear Jade tell him how she felt. Dave smirked to himself and pushed up out of the chair to go to his room, tossing his bag in and pulling out the box under his bed. Inside was all of his _Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff_ art, his old photographs from his old room, the old half broken swords. Everything he had seen in his room two years ago and gone ‘What the Fuck’ about.  All of the things he’d had pre Sburb and in Sburb were in here.

                The seventeen year old boy grabbed the pack of cigarettes he kept in his computer desk, god did he need a smoke, and pushed his window up as much as possible.  Sitting with his upper body outside of the window and on the ledge he began to smoke. He sighed as he began to calm down; his earlier panic of being the only of his friends to get the big picture was beginning to pass. Now to figure out what to do, he’d remembered from seeing John’s birthmark. As sexy as walking around shirtless sounded, it wasn’t going to fly at school so no one was getting a view of his gear there, and even in Gym John never looked at him. Egbert wasn’t going to stare down on Striders chest anytime soon.

                Dave decided to go in, and work on his homework so he didn’t have to watch his brother make out with his girlfriend. Roxy was nice and all but knowing now what he knew about him, Rose, Roxy, and Dirk it made everything a whole different level of weird. The kind of weird that involved ecto-siblings and older sibling make outs, this meant that Dave would be figuring out a plan to get his friends out of the memory zombie zone on his own.


	3. Chapter 3

                It had taken Dave Strider the whole four day weekend to figure out his plan to get his ecto sister’s memory back, a plan he was sure would work.  The day started off pretty bad, his backpack had ripped on his way out of the apartment, a train had nearly made him late for school; the worst part was right in front of him as he walked into the building and heading for drawing two. Jade was leaning on her locker looking up at some guy wearing a letterman, the word soccer across the bottom clued him into the jock’s crowning achievement.

                 Something in him told him it was smarter if he just walked off, cooled and let his annoyance slip into a drawing. That was not the way Striders handled issues of the heart he figured, pushing his way towards the couple as Jade gave a heart wrenching giggle at whatever the guy had said to her when Dave cut in with a laugh, “ Yeah good job on that touchdown last night dude, what was it 5 points I heard ?” Those were the correct terms right? They sounded good to him, when the two looked at him like he had just blurted at them in another language though he figured he’d been incorrect. Clearing his throat he gave the guy a manly pat on the shoulder and grin, “ Yeah… I just wanted to congratulate you..on that uhmn…basket?” That made even Dave cringe when he walked away, ignoring the murmurs while he slipped into his classroom.

While he began work on his drawing, his mind slipped to three days ago…

_Roxy was over for one of the rare nights Dirk would cook, it was spaghetti with bought garlic bread. She had insisted on the practice, stating that a diet consisting of various forms of take out did not make good mechanics or students. This meant that Dave had to suffer through usually four to five nights of month of Dirk cooking, and while he could cook Dave wanted everything a lot spicier than the other two._

_When Roxy found out Dave had his memories back she squealed and hugged him tight mumbling about how happy she was he was back to himself. He had had to be careful of the sloshing glass of vodka and whatever chaser they’d had in the apartment, patting her on the shoulder as she gushed over him about how adorable he was. When they finally sat down to the dinner, he decided it was time to ask Roxy about Rose._

_“Hey I’m thinking I need to get Rose’s memories back, they aren’t just going to come back on their own. I wanted your help figuring out how to do that.” It had taken a lot out of Dave to admit he wanted some help._

_The rest of the night was spent after dinner, Dave and Roxy planning exactly how to get her sister’s memories back. Dirk seemed quiet for Roxy being around but Dave ignored it, their night finally cut short when a giggling Roxy was pulled back towards his brothers bedroom and a knowing look from Dirk._

                It was the longest day of Dave’s life, the things needed for the plan in his now duct taped bag and after the final bell in English he rushed out. He was in the guys room, oiling up his chest as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was quite happy that no one seemed to have decided to come in for a piss, shirtless he moved out to the front doors and waited for Rose to come out from the school. Nervous that she had already left he stood there, shades in place and waiting as he heard people giggling nd murmuring about him.

               _Shirtless - Check_

_Oiled chest - Check  
_

_Hair disheveled like a romance novel - Check  
_

_Spot cleared under the cherry tree for last resort - Check Check  
_

Dave and Roxy's plan for making Rose look at his gear mark seemed to be set up perfectly. He was all ready for her to come in, stare at his heart and BAM be back in realityville. Now if she didnt do any of that he would have to drag her over to the cherry blossom tree and berrate her with facts about Sburb.

                Luckily he saw her blonde head making her way towards the front doors and once she had exited and said her good byes to a friend he made his move. Pushing himself between her and Roxy’s car he gave a charming smirk, “Sup Rosalicious, how about you and me chat over here under the cherry tree and discuss Janey Air and how her words make me and you feel…and how he breathe the same air..” Okay so he hoped that was what he and Roxy had practiced. Just as the crowds had cleared and Rose looked up at him she began to laugh, not a small or demure chuckle but a throaty full laugh.

                Dave was dumbfounded as Lalonde laughed her ass off at him, “Uhmn, what are you laughing at Rose—I mean er Rosalicious?” His cheeks flushed at the stupid nickname and how it made her crow louder at him.

                Once Rose could compose herself she wiped the tears from her eyes and smirked at him, “Dave…I remember Sburb. I’ve had my memory since last Friday.  You should have spoken to me in English. I was wondering why you had begun to act so strangely, but Roxy told me you had your memory back. I must admit I had begun to worry with how you were acting in class today that she was wrong but I see you are in deed in your Strider mind. “

                Following her towards the parking lot he was dumbfounded, listening to how while they had been discussing topics in Speech she had seen Jades stomach during a stretch. Right around her belly button was the space symbol in an almost perfect belly tattoo design. It had caused all of the game to come back, leaving Rose with more questions than Roxy could answer. Phone calls to Dirk had educated her on their current status.

                Dave cut in once they were near his camaro, “ Hey…we need to get the other two back to their real selves and shit. Like honestly.”

                “I think you’re correct Dave, Plan Prospitian Dreamer Memory Return if you will.”

                “You already have a dorky name for it? God Lalonde, get a life. “ Even at his mean words he grinned at her, waving while she headed for Roxy’s car and he for home.


End file.
